WACO, Calif. (KERO) — A community meeting took place in Wasco Thursday night to talk about rising crime rates in the community. This is the second task force meeting and it comes after recent crimes caused some concern in the community.
The task force is comprised of faith leaders and elected officials in Wasco. The group will roll out a program called Wasco Walks, which is set to act as a neighborhood watch.
"It's so important guys that we have these types of leaders, our state leaders, our county leaders leaning in. To be frank, we have a public safety and environmental safety hazard and crisis on our hands," said Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia.
"2020 was our most deadly year on record in Kern County and Wasco was touched by that. That's unacceptable," added Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer
On top of this Mayor Garcia has authorized $100,000 for a new surveillance system in the city.
District Attorney Zimmer also emphasized the importance of the Secret Witness Hotline where you can leave information related to a crime anonymously. That number is 322-4040.
